Agenda 2026

The moderator will ask some of the following questions as well as asking the audience to offer some questions of their own:

• Are marketplaces actually making retail better for customers — or just bigger for retailers?
• What does real marketplace success look like in 2026 — revenue growth, margin improvement, customer loyalty… or something else?
• What separates retailers that build profitable, sustainable marketplaces from those simply adding third-party sellers to drive short-term growth?
• Marketplaces massively increase assortment — but they also increase complexity. How do retailers avoid damaging trust, service quality and brand perception?
• In a successful marketplace model, who really owns the customer relationship — the retailer or the third-party seller?
• Where is AI genuinely transforming marketplace performance — and where is it currently overhyped?
• What is the biggest mistake retailers make when launching marketplaces — and why do they keep repeating it?
• How does marketplace strategy need to change when retailers expand internationally — particularly around fulfilment, regulation and customer expectations?
• By 2030, will most retailers be marketplaces — or will we see a backlash towards curated, brand-controlled retail experiences?